Wall wardrobe



Oct. 10, 1967 H. c. AcToN -3,345314 WALL WARDROBE Filed Oct. 6, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet l H. C. ACTON WALL WARDROBE Oct. 10, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Oct. 6, 1964 INVENTOR.

/97702F2YEVS United States Patent O 3,346,314 WALL WARDROBE Hugh C.Acton, Birmingham, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to BrunswickCorporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 6,1964, Ser. No. 401,952 4 Claims. (Cl. 312-245) This invention relatesgenerally to wall-hung wardrobes, and more particularly, to wall-hungwardrobes of the type comprising a substantally vertically extendingfront or cover panel and support means which functions to support thecover panel in a position spaced from and substantially parallel to awall or similar support structure.

The present invention is an improvement of the wallhung wardrobeconstruction disclosed in the .applicanfs patent, No. 3,126,238, issuedMar. 24, 1964.

lt is van object of the present invention to provide a wall-hungwardrobe of the above character wherein the means 'for supporting thecover panel on a wall or sirnilar support structure extends along ,asingle axis, thereby minimizing to the extreme, the requisite number ofsupport members and corresponding structurally accrued weight of thewardrobe, together with the cost and complexity of construction andinstallation thereof.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wall-hungwardrobe of the above Character which includes one or more luggageand/or clothes supporting shelf members that are arranged behind 'andserve to materially aid in securing the cover panel to the associatedwall or similar support structure.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide awall-hung wardrobe that may be easily assemb'led and disassembled tofacilitate the storage, transportation and relocation thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become'apparent from the 'following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevated perspective view of a preferred form of thewall-hung wardrobe of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top elevational view of the wardrobe structure illustratedin FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top elevational, view similar to FIG- URE 2, of a modifiedform of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the structureillustrated in FIGURE 4, ras seen in the direction of the arrow 5thereof;

FIGURE 6 is an elevated perspective view of another modified form of thewall-hung wardrobe embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a top elevational view of the wardrobe structure illustratedin FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is an elevated perspective view of yet another modified form ofthe wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention;

FIGURE 9 is an elevated perspective view of yet a further modified formof the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention, portions of thisstructure being broken away for the sake of space saving and clarity;

FIGURE 10 is a side elevational view of still 'a further modified 'formof the wall-hung wardrobe embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 11 is a top e'levational view of the wardrobe structureillustrated in FIGURE 10; and

FIGURE 12 is an elevated perspective view of still another modified formof the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 through 3 of the dr'awings, a wall-hungwardrobe 10, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, comprises a rigid, vertically extending -front or 'coverpanel 12 that is cantilever mounted spaced from and substantiallyparallel to a wall or a similar support structure, representativelydesignated by the numeral 14. The panel 12 may be of virtually 'anysuitable material, such as wood, Masonite, Formica, veneered fiberboard,plastic, or the like, that is Isubstantially planar in form and willserve to enhance and/ or complement the decor of the room in which thewardrobe 10 is mounted. The panel 12 is rigidly secured to the wall 14by means of 'a horizontally extending rack or shelf assembly 16 thatprojects between the upper end of the panel 12 and the wall 14, ,andcomprises a pair of spaced parallel support bars or arms 18 and 20 thatare secured at their outer ends by suitable screws, bolts or the like,and conventional mounting fianges 22 |and 24, respectively, to the upperend of the side of the panel 12 confrontng the wall 14. The shelfassembly 16, together with each of the hereinafter to be described shelfmembers which serve to support clothes, luggage and the like within thevarious forms of the wall-hung wardrobe embodyng the present invention,is preferably fabricated of stainless steel, a chrome plated steel,enrameled steel, or some other ornamental metal such as extruded or oastaluminum. The ends of the arms 18 and 20 opposite those which aresecured to the cover panel 12 are formed with downwardly extendingshoulder or flange portions 26 and 28, respectively, which are adaptedto engage or be hooked within a horizontally extending rail or channelmember 30 that is rigidly secured, as by suitable screws, bolts or thelike, to the wall 14, as best seen in FIGURES 1 and 3. A plurality ofspaced parallel support bars, generally designated 32, extend betweenand are rigidly secured at their opposite ends to the arms 18 and 20.The bars 32 define a support surface upon which luggage, clothes and thelike may be stored while being substantially concealed from view by thepanel 12.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, a pair of horizontally extending spacermembers or arms 34 and 36 extend between the lower end of the panel 1,2'and the wall 14, which arms function to space the lower end of thepanel 12 away from the wall 14 and thereby maintain the panel 12 spacedfrom and substantially parallel to the wall 14. The arms 34 and 36 aresecured at one end to the panel 12 as by suitable screws andconventional mounting sleeves, the opposite ends of the arms 34 and 36|being bi'ased toward and mantained in engagement with the wall 14 byonly the weight of the panel 12. It may be noted that a plurality ofhorizontally extending support bars or the like may be provided betweenand be secured at their opposite ends to the spacer arms 34 and 36,thereby forming a support shelf or rack similar to that provided by theaforediscussed rack assembly 16.

It will be seen from the structure thu's described, that the panel 12,together with the rack assembly 16 and spacer arms 34 and 36, is securedto the wall 14 merely by having the outer ends of the support arms 18and 20 hooked within the channel member 30, the lower end of the panel12 being he'ld against the wall 14 under the influence of gravity.Accordingly, the entire wardrobe structure 10 may 'be convenientlydismounted or removed from the wall 14 for cleaning, storage, or thelike by merely lifting or elevating the panel 12 and rack assembly 16sufiicient to disengage the flange portions 26 and 28 of the supportarms 18 and 20 from the channel member 30, it being apparent, of course,that the wardrobe may be re-mounted on the wall 14 by merely reversingthis operation.

It may 'be noted that since the panel 12 is wall-hung, a free passage isprovided beneath the wardrobe 10 due to the elirnination of allsupporting legs, braces, etc., thereby Vfacilitating dusting, cleaningand the like of the floor subjaoent this unit.

In a slightly modified form of the present invention, as illustrated inFIGURES 4 and 5, the cover panel 12 may be secured to the wall 14 byengaging or hooking the fiange portions 26 and 28 of the rack assembly'ssupport arms 18 and within a pair of horizontally spaced brackets 38 and40 that are rigidly secured as by screws, bolts or i the like, to 'theWall 14. As best seen in FIGURE 5, the

includes aV vertically extending side panel 42 which is of the sameheight as the cover panel 12 and lies along a plane extendingperpendicular thereto. The side panelr42 is attached along its outeredge to lone vertically extending edge of the cover panel 12, and'issecured along its opposite edge to the wall or similar support structureV14 by Va vertically extending angle iron member 44 which is secured tothe wall 14 and the side panel 42 as by conventional screws'or thelike,whereby the cover panel 12 is cantilever mounted in a spacedparallel relation with the wall 14, as seen in FIGURE 7.

A pair of vertically spaced shelf members 46 and 48 project horizontallybetween the cover panel 12 and the wall 14, each of which comprises apair of spaced parallel support rails 50 and 52 between which extend aplurality of spaced parallel support bars, generally designated 54.

VThe shelf members 46 and 48 are' secured between the cover panel 12 andthe'wall 14 by a plurality of conventional support clips or'brackets'56, two of which secure each of the shelf members 46 and 48 tothe'wall 14 and another two of which secure the members 46 and 48 to thepanel 12,.

Referring now to FIGURE 8, in yet another embodiment of the wall-hungWardrobe of the present invention, the cover panel 12 is secured to thewall or similar structure 14 -by means of a rectangularly configuredframe member, generally design'ated 58, that extends horizontallybetween the upper end of the panel 12 and the wall 14. The Vframe member58 comprises a pair ofrspaced side portions 60 and 62 that arerespectively secured, asfby conventional screws, b'olts or the like, tothe wall 14 Vland is cantilever mounted on the wall V14 in a mannersimilar Vto which itV is supported by the rack assembly 16Vin theembodiment of the presentrinvention illustrated in FIG- URES 1 through3. It will be noted that the frame member 58 may be provided with aplurality of horizontally extending bars or the like 63 and therebyserve as a shelf member for supporting clothes, luggage and the like,behind the cover panel 12, as above described. v

A pair of spacer arms, generally designated 64 and one of which isillustrated in FIGURE 8, extends between the lowerv end of the panel 12and the wall 14 and function to maintain 'the lower end of the panel 12spaced from and substantially parallel to the wall 14 in a manneridentical to the aforediscussed arms 34 and 36. The arms 64 are rigidlysecured to the lower end of the panel 12 by conventional mountingfianges 65 and may, if desired, be interconnected by a plurality ofhorizontally extending support bars, herein designated 66, therebyformingV a support rack or shelf between the lower` end of the panel IVinvention wherein the cover panel 12 is secured to the wall or ,Similarllpport structure 14 by means of a vertically extending andrectangularly configured frame mem-V ber 68 that projects between thepanel 12 and the wall 14 adjacent one side edge of the panel 12. Theframe member 68 comprises a pair of spaced side portions 70 and'72respectively secured as by screws or the like to the walll 14 and to theside of the panel 12 facing the wall 14, whereby the panel 12 iscantilever mounted spaced from and substantially parallel to the wall14. i

A pair of vertically spaced and horizontally extending spacer membersV74 and 76 project between the panel 12 and the wall 14, these membersbeing rigidly secured to the side of the panel 12 facing the wall 14 bysuitable screws and conventional mounting flanges 78 and 80. The spacerarms 74 and 76 are preferably arranged so as to lie in the samehorizontal planes as the upper land lower end portions, hereindesignated 82 and 84, respectively, of the frame member 68, whereby itis possible to provide a plurality of horizontally extending supportbars, generally designated 86, between the end portions 82, 84 and ture14 by a rack or shelf assembly, .generally designatedV 88, that extendshorizontally between the upper end of the panel 12 and 'the wall'14. The'rack assembly 88 includes 7 a generally C-shaped frame member 90comprising .side

portions 92 and 94 that are interconnected by a medial portion 96. Theouter ends of the frame memberis side portions 92 and 94 are formed withdownwardly extend ing support sections 98, as seen in FIGURE 10,`whichare vadapted to be rigidly secured to the wall 14 as by suitable screwsor the like. A plurality of support bars, generally designated 100,extend between and are rigidly secured at their opposite ends to theside portions 92 and 94 of the frame member 90, thereby providing ahorizontally extending shelf between the cover panel 12 and the wall 14.

A pair of spaced apart J-shaped hooks or brackets 102 are secured to theupper end of the side of the panel 12 facing the wall 14 and are adaptedto be hooked over or engaged with the medial portion 96 of the framemember a 90, thereby securing the panel 12 to the rack assembly 88. Apair of spacer arms 104 and 106 extend between the lower end of thepanel 12 and the wall 14, and function to spaceVV the lower end of thepanel 12 from the wall 14 and thereby maintain the panel 12 in asubstantially parallel relatibnship with respect to the wall 14. Thespacer arms 104 and 106, While preferably being secured at one end tothe panel 12 as by suitablermounting flanges, may or may not be rigidlyafiixed to the wall 14, depending on whether or not it is desired toremovably or permanently I secure the panel 12 to the wall 14.. i

Referring again to FIGURE 8, a horizontal extending coat hanger rod 108may be provided 'between and. rigidly secured at its opposite Vends asby suitable mounting fianges 110 and 112 to the panel 12 and the wall14, respectively, thereby permitting coats and the like to be hung uponconventional coatihangers behind the panel 12. It will |be apparent, ofcourse, that such a rod may be incorporated in each of the various formsor embodiments of the wall-hung wardrobe described herein, and also thatsuch a rod might ybe incorporated as an integral member in any of theabove 1described shelf or shelf support frame members, such as the framemember 58 illustrated in FIGURE 8 or the member 90 illustrated in FIGUREll. i

Referring now to FIGURE 12, in still another form of the wall-hungwardrobe of the .present invention, the cover panel 12 is secured to thewall or similar structure 14 by means of a rectangularlyrconfiguredframe member 114 that projects horizontally between the lower end of thepanel 12 and the wall 14 and is rigidly secured tothe panel 12 withsuitable screws, bolts, Vor the like. The side i of the -frame member114 opposite that which is secured to the panel 12 is attached to thewall 14 by being disposed and supported within a pair of horizontallyspaced U-shaped 'brackets, generally desifgnated 116, that are rigidlysecured to the wall 14 'by means of suitable screws, bolts, and thelike.

Extending horizontally ;between the upper end of the panel 12 and thewall 14 is a flat elongated rack or shelf member, 'generally designatedby the numeral 118 and comprising a pair of spaced apart support arms120 'and 122 that are secured to the side of the panel 12 facing thewall 14 by conventional mounting flanges and suitable screws or thelike. A pair of horizontally spaced retaining brackets, -generallydesignated 124, are pivotally or rotata-bly secured to the wall 14 andare adapted to selectively engage the side edge of the shelf member 118adjacent the wall 14. It may be noted that the brackets 124 do notactually function to support the panel 12 on the wall 14, but insteadmerely serve to prevent the upper end of the panel 12 from swinging awaylfrom the wall 14 under the influence of gravity. It will be seen thatthe panel 12 is detachably secured to the wall 14 and many be readilydismounted or removed therefrom by appropriately pivoting or rotatingthe -brackets 124 out of engagement with the shelf member 118 andlifting the panel 12 sufiiciently to disengage the frame member 114 fromthe U-shaped brackets 116, it being apparent that the panel 12 may beconveniently remounted on the wall 14 by merely reversing thisoperation.

It will be readily apparent from each of the aforegoing embodiments ofthe wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention, that the cover panel 12serves to substantially conceal the various rack or shelf assemblieswhich project between the panel 12 and'the wall or similar supportstructure 14, and that these rack or shelf assem'blies, with theexception of the wardrobe structure illustrated in FIG- URES 6 and 7,are readily accessible from either side of the cover panel 12. It willalso be apparent that each of the aforegoing constructions of thepresent invention may serve to contain and eflectively conceal asubstantal quantity of hanger supported clothing, luggage, or the like,and thereby may be used in lieu of or to complement conventional typestorage closets, one particular feature of the hereinabove describedwardrobe constructions over such conventional storage closets Ibeing theextreme simplicity of construction and the corresponding ease ofassembly and disassembly thereof. This feature is provided by the factthat each of the various above described forms of the Wall-hung wardrobeembodying the .present invention is supported on its associated wall orsimilar support structure along a single axis, thereby minimizing to theextreme, the requisite number of support members and correspondingcomplexities of construction and installation of these wardrobes.

While it will be apparent that the various hereinhefore describedembodiments are well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, itwill be appreciated that the wallhung wardrobe construction of thepresent invention is susceptible to modification, Variation and changeWithout departing from the proper scope or fair meanin'g of thesubjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wall wardrobe for containing apparel and the like and adapted tobe mounted on a wall or similar structure, a substantially verticallyextending n'gid cover panel, means extending between the wall and saidpanel for supporting said panel in a position spaced from andsubstantially parallel to the wall, said last mentioned means includingmeans defining a generally rectangular configured rigid frame havingside portions extending substantially parallel to the wall and saidpanel, and end portions extending 'between the wall and said panel, saidframe having means for being secured to the Wall so as to stand rigidlyout from the wall, said panel being sustained against gravity by saidframe, and apparel supporting means interposed lbetween the Wall andsaid panel and being at least partially supported by said frame.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame is locatedin a substantially horizontal plane.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame is locatedin a substantially Vertical plane.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame ispositioned adjacent one edge of said panel, and further comprisingspacing means positioned adjacent the opposite edge of said panel andextending between said panel and the wall to maintain said panelsubstantially parallel to the wall.

References Cited UNITED STAT ES PATENTS 455,725 7/ 1891 Redding 312 52,00l,324 6/1935 Early 312-245 2,148,`043 2/ 1939 Zero 312.- 2062,649,350 8/ 1953 Backus 3 l2 25=8 2,848,880 7/ '8 Riedel et al. 62-2632,944,863 7/ 1960 Bertelsen 312-238 3,126,238 3/ 1964 Acton 312-245FOREIGN PAT ENTS 210,993 2/ 1924 Great Britain. 558,836 1/ 1944 GreatBritain.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A WALL WARDROBE FOR CONTAINING APPAREL AND THE LIKE AND ADAPTED TOBE MOUNTED ON A WALL OR SIMILAR STRUCTURE, A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLYEXTENDING RIGID COVER PANEL, MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE WALL AND SAIDPANEL FOR SUPPORTING SAID PANEL IN A POSITION SPACED FROM ANDSUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE WALL, SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDINGMEANS DEFINING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CONFIGURED RIGID FRAME HAVINGSIDE PORTIONS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE WALL AND SAIDPANEL, AND END PORTIONS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE WALL AND SAID PANEL, SAIDFRAME HAVING MEANS FOR BEING SECURED TO THE WALL SO AS TO STAND RIGIDLYOUT FROM THE WALL, SAID PANEL BEING SUSTAINED AGAINST GRAVITY BY SAIDFRAME, AND APPAREL SUPPORTING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE WALL AND SAIDPANEL AND BEING AT LEAST PARTIALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAME.